all right. we appreciate you spending time with us on this "american morning." time to hand this over to atlanta. >> we will see you bright and early tomorrow morning. newsroom starts now with randi kay. >> i'm in for kyra phillips. the u.n. warning there could be more carnage in the days ahead. a mystery in spain. a college student from the u.s. has been missing for more than a week now. his family desperate for answers. a volcano in hawaii blows lava 65 feet in the air after the crater floor drops out. new fighting rages in libya. control of the country hangs in the balance.

more on that, but first, the reverberations to your corner gas station. you probably know gas prices are up. you may be surprised by how much. three weeks ago we were paying $3.18 a gallon, today the national average is $3.51 a gallon. the second biggest price jump ever. higher prices are on the way. christine romans is part of the cnn money team. good morning to you. >> good morning, randi. >> this is not just the uncertainty in libya, but the uncertainty in the entire region? >> that is right. an a global economy that is recovering. the world's factories have been revving up and people are consuming more oil. the demand wasn't up in the u.s. it was up elsewhere. when you look at gas prices in the u.s., two week, really an

epic jump, 34 cents, where you live depends on what you are paying. california, hawaii, alaska, the highest prices. chicago $3 .75 a gallon. will they continue to go higher? some analysts are telling me this morning yes. they hope the bulk of the move has been factored in. $106 crude oil right now. you won't see $4 gasoline unless crude oil hits $125 a barrel. don't wear about $4 gallon gas until oil hits $125 a barrel. >> a lot of talk from the obama administration tapping into the nation's strategic oil reserves. how likely do you think that is? >> many people are telling me it is unlikely. having the administration

talking about the strategic petroleum reserve shows us they are on this. this is crude oil stored in underground salt cavins. we have 727 million barrels. by definition it is there to keep the market going in case there are supply disruptions. there is a tiny disruption from libya, but saudi arabia and opec says they will make up for that. it has been tapped twice. there was an exchange once but other than that it is rare to see us tap into that. the government can weigh in and get rid of the gas tax. that is something they talked about in 2008. government price controls they tried in the 1970s.

the political climate is get the government out of my life so that seems unlikely, too. >> christine, thank you. earlier today moammar gadhafi's planes bombed strong holds. they pushed back the government offensive and still control the city. some civilians were armed only with sticks but still beat back gadhafi's tank and artillery. estimates on the death toll

range as high as 2,000. the international community scrambling to ease gadhafi out of power and libya appears on the verge of civil war. nic robertson is in tripoli. nic, good morning. who seems to have more support as far as you can tell, the opposition or gadhafi or is it changing day by day? >> reporter: it is hard to tell. for anyone that is living in tripoli, they would be confused and worried. they would have seen the big demonstrations yesterday by the government, by the government supporters. they would have heard the government claims they have taken control of some of the towns. those able to listen to national media know those claims ring hollow. they are not true. people are anti-gadhafi and they

say their voice is being put down. there are people being arrested. they say they are living in fear. the gadhafi supporters are well armed. there is nothing the anti-gadhafi elements can do about it. it is confusing. but clearly we are getting into a situation where the government cannot deal a decisive blow against rebel pockets. they are having no easy victories either. this is a long battle. >> how well armed is the opposition? we hear about rebel forces using sticks. how long can they hang on against the libyan army? >> zawir, for example, there are 100 or so fighters. it sounds like a lot, but they are facing off against an army,

an army that has supply depots. these fighters might be able to get in and out of the city center to get food, medical supplies, but what they don't have access to is the ammunition. in some places like tripoli, the anti-government people don't have weapons. what people have seen in the streets very well armed gadhafi supporters. the government is keeping a lot of people well armed and the opposition has nothing to match that. >> nic, thank you. in the indian ocean pirates and the u.s. navy to the rescue. the "uss boeckly," part of a nato anti-piracy ship rescued a

ship. robert gates choking up in a surprise trip to afghanistan. it happened in a question and answer session with troops. gates got emotional when a service member asked the secretary what keeps him up at night. >> i would tell you that you all keep me up at night. i think a lot about the people out here. and what you are having to put up with and the conditions you live in and the sacrifices you make. >> gates meeting with hamid karzai who may give him an earful. karzai is complaining about civilian deaths from air strikes. expressing regret at the deaths

of nine afghan boys in an air strike last week is not enough. air strikes is a source of tension between kabul and washington. this week congress takes a closer look at radical islam in america. the muslim community says it is being singled out, demonized, in fact, for the acts of a few. we asked a muslim woman whose son was killed on 9/11 what she thinks. nhl fights are part of the game but at what skos of the players. researchers have looked into the brain of a former enforcer and found evidence of trauma. who will kate middleton be wearing when she says "i do"? the princess may share a look with lady gaga. we'll explain.

this week congress holds hearings on radical islams in america. peter king thinks al qaeda is recruiting and the muslim community isn't cooperating with authorities. king thinks the government needs to investigate. >> i have said the overwhelming majority of muslims are outstanding americans. but there is an effort to radicalize elements within the islamic community.

right now there is an effort, this suspect just me, this is eric holder who says he worries about young muslim men being radicalized. >> protesters showed up in the rain to denounce the hearings. they say congressman king is demonizing the muslim community. let's talk about this. her son was a muslim and paramedic and died trying to save others at ground zero. are you opposed to the hearings or do you think they should include more faiths? >> i don't oppose the hears. i do agree we need to investigate radicalism and domestic terrorism. we had the attack on congresswoman gabby, we have timothy mcveighs.

an american guy, christian caucasian was attacking with a bomb over there, arrested just before the event. we need to investigate, but not only one community, especially a faith-based community. this is an indictment of our faith which is not fair. we need to prevent another 9/11 having paid the ultimate price who else would be more concerned but not at the cost of our liberties, our civil rts, our constitutional rights. what peter king is doing, he is demonizing, stigmatizing the american muslims. eric holder did not say any such thing he is claiming. yes, he stays awake at night, not because of terrorism because of muslim radicalization. because of radicalization in the general domestic population.

there are militia against the government. we have to investigate and look into them also. >> your son died on 9/11. he was a paramedic. he was a police cadet. we have video of you looking for your son after 9/11. what is it that concerns you most about the hearings? are you concerned that muslims would be targeted in america? >> not would be. they are. we are being persecuted. >> i mean even more so. >> would be. well, he is trying to make us second class citizens, to pursue a faith of our choice, which is a constitutional right. nobody can do that. the white house came out with a statement. they sent a national security person dennis mcdonnell who says we need to look at radicalization across the board and responsible to stand by our people. we are all americans.

>> and what do you make of the fact that congressman king says muslims have not been cooperative with the law? >> he is very wrong. if he were true on that he would invite someone from law enforcement to testify. the fact nobody from the law enforcement is testifying is evidence that he cannot back up his claims. even congressman keith ellison says we need to look across the board. terrorists exist in all faiths, in all races and all ethnicities. to demonize one faith is very wrong. it is unfair. it is un-american. >> we have to leave it there. we appreciate your thoughts this morning. thank you. >> thank you. >> you can read her op-ed on cnn.com. it is called this is my son's america, too. hockey fans love the adrenaline rush of fights. what about the players long-term

concerns? doctors went inside a tough guy's brain and we'll tell you what they found. hawaii's sleeping giant has awakened. kilauea sends a spectacular flow of lava spewing in the air. the smell of home made chili whatever scents fill your household, purina tidy cats scoop helps neutralize odors in multiple cat homes... keeping your house smelling like it should. purina tidy cats scoop. keep your home smelling like home. but you can still refinance to a fixed rate

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rob marciano is in the weather center. he is following this volcano in

hawaii. >> this thing has been erupting a good 20 years now. a new fissure opening up and volcano spewing 60 feet into the air. we bring you these colorful eruptive pictures from the big island of hawaii. they are monitoring this. if it gets any worse they will have to alert folks who live close by. this stuff continues to spew downhill making that island even bigger. some rainfall across indiana, flooding an issue there. especially south and west of indianapolis. the white river continues to flood. it will crest probably tomorrow morning, tomorrow afternoon because of the two bouts of rain over the weekend. probably going to see more in the way of rainfall later this week. storm across the northeast.

drying out across parts of the southeast. a complex system across parts of the midwest. this is some of the rainfall we've seen. for the most part this is 24 hours. north of hartford, three inches, orange, massachusetts, over three inches as well. we have had some flooding and some snow. parts of central and upstate new york. over 20 inches. burlington, vermont, 20 inches. stowe, vermont, 14 inches. temperatures in the 40s in parts of new york. watch this next system out of the rockies to bring more rain, wind, snow through the eastern 2/3 of the country wednesday into thursday. >> rob, thank you. here are some stories making news cross country. new trouble for the catholic

archdiocese of philadelphia. a lawsuit is filed today accusing church leaders conspireing to cover up or ignore sex crimes by priests committed against children. it names six leaders including the archbishop. a fire aboard an oil platform in the gulf of mexico. coast guard rushed to the platform on grand isle, louisiana. they put out the fire and rescued two workers. the platform was shut two weeks ago. in new orleans mardi gras festivities are in spring. a major knockout in a minor league hockey game. take a look at this central hockey league video that has gone viral.

blackwater sents jorg senn down to the ice. as soon as he gets up he sends him back to the ice again. concussions can come from checks and a blind side hit to the head. doctors are concerned about concussions. jason carroll is in new york with the story. >> lots of concerns about this. you heard about it happening to football players and box rs, now reachers shows it is happening to hockey players as well. researchers at boston university have found a brain degeneration disease in two former nhl players. bob probert died at the age of 45. in hockey terms he was called an enforcer. the result? years of blows to the head. head trauma is one of the major

causes of trauma to the head. the nhl has taken some action but says, randi, it does not go far enough. >> the nhl stepped up, put a foot forward and said you can't blind side hit the head anymore. that is one step forward. now they have to put the other step forward and say all purposeful hits to the head need to be taken out of ice hockey. >> randi, as it stands right now, you can only determine if someone has cte after they died. the news ability probert concerns players. >> when you hear about bob probert and other guys, you start to think about it. you look back and say, i wouldn't have changed anything i did. i lived my dream and played in the nhl, but at what price?

>> both the nhl and its union are aware of the research. when we reached out to both of them they would not give us an on-camera interview. they responded, the nhl telling us the findings are interesting and will add to a broader body of knowledge. we are not going to react based on findings related to one player. skill players that don't take the same abuse enforcers do. when it comes to probert, 246 fights in 16 seasons. so you can imagine with all of that fighting, in addition to the physical activity on the ice, that is a lot to deal with. >> the fans love the fights at the hockey games. it is such a serious issue but, of course, they enjoy it so

much. thank you, jason. >> in libya both sides are claiming control of major cities. between bouts of fighting there are rallies to celebrate victories. so is libya entering into a civil war? we're america's natural gas.

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welcome back. oil prices keep soaring. they topped $104 a barrel last week. today the situation is getting worse. we have details from the new york stock exchange. >> we are watching oil on the move right now. topping $105 a barrel. it hit $106 a barrel this morning, the highest price in 2 1/2 years. look at prices over the last month. they are up almost 20%. the funny thing is oil supplies are okay. the trade you are watching happened with oil is being driven by speculation. the fear of what will happen if the libyan conflict spreads to other mideast nation. we are expecting a flat open because of higher oil prices. keep that in mind. a big reminder, it is tax time. early numbers are beginning to roll in. the average refund $3,129.

last year it was around $3,000. the average is likely to drop as tax season progresses because people who expect the big refunds file right away. it is the filers who wait for more last-minute are the ones who owe money to uncle sam. you want to hold on to the money as long as you can. randi? >> allison, thank you. 30 minutes past the hour. time to check top stories. oil prices are causes gas prices to jump in the u.s. over the past two weeks the national average has spiked 33 cents a gallon. the second biggest jump in history. millions of americans are reeling from flood waters or bracing for them. this is the scene from indianapolis where heavy rains flooded some low-lying areas there. today flood warnings are in effect for louisiana, arkansas and mississippi. right now the space shuttle

"discovery" is on its way home. astronauts undocked from the international space station. the shuttle program is scheduled to end later this year. the u.n. says expect more carnage in libya in the coming days. parts of the country are under opposition control while in tripoli a progovernment rally rocked green square. some demonstrators holding weapons and posters of moammar gadhafi. intense fighting is less than 200 miles from libya's capital. in misrata both sides are claiming victory. opposition forces are holding ground with machine guns, sticks, whatever they can gather, while pro-gadhafi forces are armed heavily.

ronald bruce st. john is a libya scholar. bruce, good morning to you. you have examined four decades of libya. this is a civil war, really. both sides digging in, pushing back. what would you say is the end game? how long can we expect this to go on? >> first of all it is important to consider it maybe more as a revolution than a civil war. a revolution than a civil war, a large number of libyans saying enough is enough. we have had enough of gadhafi and want to get rid of him. the end game will be that gadhafi will be overthrown. how long that will take? a matter of days? probably not. a matter of weeks, probably likely. he looks like he will fight on to the bitter end.

the protesters will have to get organized militarily to push him completely out of power. >> in egypt we saw a short list of people who might take over when president mubarak stepped down. is there a short list being tossed around if gadhafi goes? >> no. i think it is a very real difference of what happened in egypt and tunisia. this is a very much a people's revolution driven by young libyans. they have formed a transitional consul headed by a former justice minister. moustapha jameel of the gadhafi regime. we will need a traditional government, the young revolutionaries will want to create their own form of

government. >> ronald bruce st. john, thanks for joining us this morning. in india, an inferno that could be seen for miles. 2,000 homes were lost. including a home of one of the actors from "slumdog millionaire." what is bringing presidential candidates to iowa today in our political update. destined to shape our future. the jaguar xj. automobile magazine's 2011 design of the year. [ male announcer ] new inventory. ♪ new equipment. new trucks. new hires. ♪ new space. ♪ new markets. achievement seizes new opportunity. ♪ go to pnc.com/cfo to see how we can help your cashflow situation.

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checking stories making news today. president obama holds his first white house meeting with australia's prime minister. they will discuss shared interests afghanistan and a pull out of nato troops. secretary of state hillary clinton wants to put more emphasis on women's issues. she is launching 100 women initiative. the initiative encourages exchanges at giving women more control of their lives. the so-called sweat lodge trial of james arthur ray resumes in arizona. three people died in a sweat lodge gathering near sedona in october, 2009. listen closely to what

senator john mccain told abc's this week and see if you can figure out what is wrong with his statement. >> i would also point out if it emptied that house, if you left a computer or ipad or iphone, those are built in the united states of america and as the president said, continuously and i agree with him, innovation is the key to us being able to restore our economy. >> so you think about that. we'll tell you the mistake when we come back. in preparation of the holiest period in the catholic calendar, more on carnivale coming up.

well, senator john mccain may need to check with a techie after he misspoke during an interview. mccain told abc's this week that ipads and iphones are american made. >> i would also point out if it emptied that house, if you left a computer or ipad or iphone, those are built in the united states of america. and as the president said continuously and i agree with him, innovation is the key to us being able to restore our economy. that has to be exports. >> the ipad, the iphone and the

i touch each have the words designed by apple in california, assembled in china on the back. the senator is aware of that. let's bring in paul steinhauser, is the senator aware of that oar not? >> he says he is. this story is the lead for the political ticker and a lot of traffic online, generating a lot of interest online. one thing is interesting is he said he agreed with the president. barack obama and john mccain rivals. they say they agree here. talking about john mccain, what about republicans who want to become the next presidential nominee? it is a big day in iowa. the first real cattle call. check this graphic we made. there is a forum by the iowa faith and freedom coalition, look who is going to be there, newt gingrich, tim pawlenty,

rick santorum, herman cain and buddy roemer and ron paul, the congressman from texas who ran last time. he speaks to another social conservative group. a big day in iowa. >> another probable gop presidential candidate quite feisty this weekend. what can you tell us about this? >> yeah. mitt romney, he will probably run again. his achilles' heel is the health care plan he implemented in massachusetts about five years ago, the governor there. romney this past week up in new hampshire speaking to a republican county group. listen to what he said about his health care plan and about the obama health care plan. take a listen. >> our experiment wasn't perfect. some things worked. some things didn't. some things i would change, but one thing i would never do is

usurp the constitutional power of states with a one size fits all federal takeover. i would repeal obama care. >> fighting words for mitt romney. other republicans are criticizing him for what he did in massachusetts. the white house complimented him which in a way can hurt him. >> we'll have your next political update in one hour. a reminder for the latest political news go to our website, cnn politics.com. here are some stories making news across country. the daughter of the last world war i veteran would like his body to lie in repose in the rotunda of the u.s. capitol. he died last sunday at the age of 110. congressional leaders are not allowing a resolution to support this. they say a service at arlington

national cemetery is more appropriate. matthew mcconnell performed the heimlich on a customer who had been choking on food for 30 seconds. he said it is part of his training and does not consider himself a hero. how do you help children concentrate? teachers are using stability balls. experts say the balls help improve posture and require concentration so you don't fall off. it is one of the most anticipated articles of clothing ever. kate middleton's royal wedding gown. the designer may be one of fashion's most rebellious. most americans aren't eating enough whole grains.

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we're going to color outside the lines now. go outside our own borders and look at international stories. jacques chirac faces criminal charges, the first lead eer sin world war ii. he gave friends ghost jobs and big salaries. the 78-year-old will stand trial despite claims of alzheimer's

disease. in spain they are searching for a 22-year-old exchange student who was last seen leaving a madrid nightclub. some say spanish authorities have moved too slow sli. >> you may remember the actress rubina ali, her home is one that was on fire. carnival in brazil. there is a real fight in egypt molg. you don't want to get those guys going on the origin of the word carnival. some say it is remove meat or farewell to the flesh. this party is the preparation to the holiest period of the catholic calendar lent. hee is a question for you,

what do lady gaga and kate middleton have in common? the fashion house behind lady gaga's looks may be designing the wedding dress. some reports say the label will be alexander m fashion house denying this. are they obligated to keep this a secret if it is true? >> reporter: i think, yes, they would pretty much have to be. this is, of course, the one subject that is the most interesting of all of this wedding. they would have a contract that said under no circumstances would they be allowed to confirm it. when it was first announced that catherine would be involved in designing her own wedding dress we were told we would be given no details until the actual date. buckingham palace has refused to confirm or deny this story which pretty much is what they've been doing from the start with all aspects of the wedding. we have to emphasize there has

been no confirmation from the house of mcqueen. the more it does like like the creative designer for the house of mcqueen will be designing the dress and it's actually, we're told, being designed here at buckingham palace. >> i know alexander mcqueen's fashions have a lot of fans including first lady michelle obama here in the u.s. any idea what this dress might look like? >> reporter: well, i think the first thing we have to remember is that this is a church wedding, a church service, and not a fashion parade. it will be conservative, though i know many people described catherine's whole style as being conservative. we do know that the dress will have sleeves, but that really is is it. now an interesting point, catherine has been using the ballroom at st. james palace to pr practice her wedding walk. now that does suggest there could be significant train on this wedding dress. >> and you say it might be

conservative. do you think that sarah burton was chosen to help design this because she is low profile? >> reporter: she's low profile but, remember, she is a very experienced designer. she's been at the house of mcqueen for, i think, it's 16 years now. catherine has always said she wants to be involved in the design of the dress, so i think that sarah burton's experience in working alongside catherine will be beneficial. i think that's what catherine is looking for. she doesn't have the skill to design her own wedding dress. i think sarah burton will be helping her with that significantly. >> all right. i know a lot of people have great anticipation. can't wait to see what this dress is going to look like on the day of the royal wedding. mark saunders from london, thank you. we'll update you on the latest in libya at the top of the hour. we're following lots of other developments in the next hour of cnn newsroom. let's check first with jim

acosta. >> reporter: following mitt romney's new message on the health care law he signed when he was governor of massachusetts. how does that new message square with what he has said in the past? i'll have a story on that coming up. >> reporter: and i'm stephanie elam in los angeles. do you think your city is already taxing you enough for things? they're getting creative here out west. i'll tell what you they're doing to tax some of the residents. that's coming up in the next hour. all right, thanks, guys. and in libya the fighting intensifies and the concerns grow. the united nations issues a dire warning as government troops launch a new offensive. we'll have the latest. plus, the end is near or at least that's what one church group thinks. they are so convinced that the end of days will happen this may that they are traveling the country to warn anyone who will listen.

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and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪ because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. ♪ and welcome back. some nba stars were crying after they lost yesterday. tears, huh? >> the miami heat coach says his guys are really down. you can't blame them. the heat are supposed to be the team to beat with dwyane wade and lebron james. it just wasn't working right. watch the bulls slowing them down. d-rose going to the hoop for two. the heat may have the big three including dwyane wade but

chicago has the big one, yes, derek rose, the point guard, drawing all the contact, making everything happen. nothing going right for the heat. the final seconds the heat had a chance. the heat go down to the chicago bulls by one point. the spurs have won 22 in a row at home taking on the lakers. there we go. ron artest the block, the flex, and the kiss. when you're a kid, that's what the coaches teach you, right is this block, flex, kiss. teammates love that. artest not done. trying to save the loose ball, dives into the first row giving the fans the full experience. the that's not a coke or a beer. that's coffee. fortunately the guy said it was not hot. lakers brought plenty of cream and sugar. they won easily had san antonio. drive fast, turn left, nascar in vegas. jeff gordon cuts a tire. snuggles with the wall. he had to be towed off the track. not a good day for gordon. down the stretch they come, carl edwards dominant again.

his 19th career win. no carl edwards' win is complete without the back flip. his third win in the last five starts. danica patrick made history this weekend. she finished fourth in the nation wide series race in vegas on saturday. she is in the lime green number 7 car. fourth is the best nascar finish ever by a woman. you have to go whack to 1949 for the last time a woman finished in the top five in a nascar race. it will be huge if and when patrick wins a nascar race. a different kind much of racing now. ready, set, mush. it's the start of the iditarod race in alaska. of course they go from anchorage to nome. we're talking about 1,000 dogs. each team has 12 to 16 dogs. over the years it has picked up the title the last great race on earth. mackey going for his fifth straight iditarod title. temperatures, by the way, are

below zero and there's also wind. it's not going to be warm. but they do say that the winner gets not only $50,000 but also a truck and, randi, the dogs get something, too, put their heads out the window. >> a new bone, i don't know, something. i hope they get something after all that hard work. >> 1,000 miles left. they still have a long way to go. >> jeff fischel, appreciate it. we begin this hour in libya where bloody fighting is intensifying between government troops and rebel fighters. first off the rebel stronghold of ras lanuf. moammar gadhafi's warplanes bombed the city. it's a vital link in libya's oil industry and both sides desperately want to control it. rebels there say they pushed back the government offensive. witnesses say gadhafi's troops also failed to recapture the town of misrate.

one was overwhelmed by the attack and that rebels managed to hold on. >> the courthouse was the center of the assault by the gadhafi militia in the city of misrate, literally in the middle of what seems to be or what is -- [ inaudible ] i can't believe it. we're talk iing about wreckage the ground everywhere, vehicles, you name it all. >> today the united nations is accusing gadhafi's troops of blocking humanitarian medical aid to misrate, pleading with libya to allow aid workers in so they can save lives. in fact, the u.n. is warning there may be more carnage in the days ahead and has appoint add

new special envoy to libya. the former diplomat from jordan will try to bridge the chasm with gadhafi's government in hopes of avoiding humanitarian crisis. but, first, upheaval in the oil producing middle east and the direct impact on your wallet. gasoline prices across the u.s. have skyrocketed 33 cents in the last two weeks. the lunburg says it is the biggest jump. here is the snapshot of what people are paying. in san diego you could shell out $ $3.87 for a gallon of regular. here in atlanta we're paying about $3.43. folks in billings, montana, are averaging $3.15 a gallon. christine romans joins us from the money team. why such a huge hike so fast? >> reporter: well, you know, there's a lot of unrest in the middle east and a lot of growth elsewhere in the world. these things together have driven up the prices. quite frankly, as long as there is uncertainty in the middle

east, as long as you have these public demonstrations, you are going to have gas prices either at this level or rising. that's what many of the analysts and economists have been telling me. in fact, they point out, randi, the last time you saw $100 oil you had $3.64 a gallon for gas, so this time we've started from a little lower base in terms of the price of gasoline. let's talk about some of the options for keeping that lid on that price. what are the options for the government? well, you've heard of bill daley, the president's chief of staff, it timothy geithner, talk about the possibility of tapping something called the strategic petroleum reserve. what is that? well, it's 727 million barrels of oil that are held in the salt domes, these underground caverns and facilities along the gulf coast. this is a reserve that's meant for emergencies, for when the global supply of oil to the united states is hindered or halted, this reserve can be

tapped. once during the persian gulf war and during hurricane katrina. other times oil companies have been allowed to tap into this. basically that's something that is on the table but many economists are telling me is unlikely. what else could happen? you could roll back some of the gas taxes that would put money back into people's pockets or have government price controls, very, very unlikely. that was tried in the 1970s. all of these options, something that people are talking about. some democrats calling for in terms of tapping the petroleum reserve. they are thinking it's hurting american consumers and that we know is did he haefinitely true. randi? >> christine romans, good to see you. defense secretary robert gates is meeting with afghan president hamid karzai in kabul during a q&a section. gates choked up and said he thinks about them all the time. the archdiocese of philadelphia expected to face a new lawsuit

today for allegedly covering up sex crimes against children. attorneys say the lawsuit accuses church officials of conspiracy and names the archdiocese and six people including a current and former archbishop. the archdiocese has been the subject of a two-year grand jury investigation. i am proud to have you as governor of the state of wisconsin. >> wisconsin's governor getting some support in the state's capital. yesterday's rally was held to counter three weeks of anti-scott walker defensem demonstrations. walker says the state is broke and he wants to remove those collective bargaining rights by employees, a move that has angered unions across the country. a new sign that donald trump is serious about a possible presidential run. trump is sending a senior adviser to the key state of iowa today. michael coen will meet with officials, organizers and potential sources of campaign money. yes, money.

even donald trump could not finance a white house campaign on his own, apparently. the trump adviser trip is not the only visit making political news this iowa. several republicans with possible white house designs are there today. cnn's jim acosta is following all their moves from washington. good morning, jim. >> reporter: hi, randi. a whole new reality show is shaping up in 2012. the race for the white house is apparently heating up this week. potential candidates, we call them potential because they're not declared yet, they are hitting the ground running in early battleground states. there's a big gop gathering in iowa tonight where newt gingrich, tim pawlenty, cain and rick santorum. paul will be in a different area and an aide to donald trump is making a trip as well. mike huckaby will be promoting his book and mitt romney another

potential front-runner in the race. he got a jump-start traveling to new hampshire over the weekend. it was romney's first real attempt before 2012 gop primary voters to ease some tea party tensions, you might say, over the health care law he got passed while governor of massachusetts. romney's potential rivals have dubbed romney-care a model for obama-care. he told the crowd the law was only designed for massachusetts not the country. >> our experiment wasn't perfect. some things worked. some things didn't. some things i changed. but one thing i would never do is usurp the constitutional power of states with a one-size-fits-all federal takeover. i would repeal obama care. >> reporter: now much of the consternation over romney-care stems from that law's individual m mandate that requires people in massachusetts to get health insurance that is also in the president's health care law. they say that is unconstitutional and the basis

as you know for all of the state challenges to the law, challenges that could go all the way to the supreme court. >> sure, and, jim, romney has defended his health care law in the patst, right? >> reporter: time and again. this wasn't an issue back in '08. he signed this law in '06. it wasn't an issue in '08 because obama care didn't actually exist at that point and i interviewed mitt romney about the subject of health care reform about a year and a half ago in the context of the debate over the president's health care proposal at that time. it wasn't law yet. and in that interview governor romney said portions of the law that he signed in massachusetts were a model for the country. here is what he had to say. is this something you're still proud of as governor? >> i think people in massachusetts, like myself, are very proud of the fact that we have a setting are where everybody in massachusetts has insurance and if people worry about losing their job, they don't have to worry about losing

their coverage. you keep coverage, you have insurance as long as you're in massachusetts. it's a positive plan. >> reporter: now should romney get the gop nomination democrats hope romney care will soften among moderate republicans to the president's health care law. how can you be mad at the president, democrats will ask, when governor romney did the same thing, randi. so it is interesting to see this develop over time because at the time when he signed that law, the individual mandate wasn't that big of an issue. >> it is very interesting to keep track of all of this. thanks, jim. this week congress holds hearings on radical islam. head of the homeland security commission peter king says al qaeda is recruiting and that the muslim community is not cooperating enough with authorities. >> this is al qaeda internationally attempt to ing recruit within the country.

these are all people who are identifying one way or another with al qaeda or al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. it's an international movement with elements here in the united states. to me that is a real distinction. there are always go going to be isolated incidents, fanatics, terrorists even. but an organized terrorist effort to me is different which requires an investigation unto itself. >> protesters showed up sunday in new york. they say congressman king is demonizing the muslim community. i talked with a woman whose muslim son was killed trying to save others on 9/11. i asked her if she thinks king's hearings could spell trouble for muslims in america. >> they have been persecuted -- i mean, would be. take away our rights to pursue the faith of our choice which is our constitutional right and nobody can do that. the white house came out with a statement saying that the

national security person, dennis mcdonough, i think, and he said, yes, we need to look at the radicalization across the board and we are responsible to stand by our people. we are all americans. >> she says she supports hearings on radicalization. she doesn't think those hearings should be limited to just one faith group. absence is about to make the wallets dwroe thinner. if democrats do not come back, they pay fines, $250 a day. we'll ask if one is inspired to get in the car and head home. plus, you'll meet a group of people who have left their families, their homes and their jobs to travel the country and warn that the end of days is coming. in may 2011, to be exact. >> when we caravan, people give us the thumb. they say thumbs up.

we also see people that, unfortunately, give us the other finger. >> we tagged along on the leg of their journey and we'll tell you why they are so convinced the end is near. so delicious. my peppers and broccoli... they really make the dish. cream is really what makes it. i think you'll find it's the vegetables. the crunch... the texture. deliciously rich. delicious. fantastic! flavorful. [ cow moos ] hey, maybe we could... work together? [ female announcer ] introducing new stouffer's farmers' harvest. now classics like grilled chicken fettuccini alfredo come with sides of farm-picked vegetables... lightly sauteed with herbs and olive oil. and no preservatives. find more ways to get to the table at letsfixdinner.com. a company-wide memo about the meeting? uh-huh. this is the meeting. we are the company. don't sweat it. i just switched us to sprint, so e-mail, web...on 4g... it's all unlimited. [ cellphone buzzes ] you just texted me to read the memo? unlimited text too. we really need you on this conference call. rick, it's lyle.

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basic. preferred. at meineke i have options on oil changes. and now i get free roadside assistance with preferred or supreme. my money. my choice. my meineke. indiana's democratic state lawmakers bolted for illinois to protest bills they see as anti-labor and anti-education. that's similar to what democrats in wisconsin have done.

but here is a key difference. today absence starts to cost the democrats $250 a day in fines if they don't return to the state house and take their seats. pat bower is the house democratic leader. he joins us from illinois. so thank you for joining us. is this financial incentive enough to make you go back across the border? >> well, last week we took one step forward and by the end of the week we took two steps backwards. one of the majority members on the floor said when they inflicted the pain that this pain was meant for us and our families and hoped it hurt us. >> is it the same issue -- is it the same issue as what we're seeing in wisconsin over collective bargaining? >> well, collective bargaining in wisconsin has already

happened for public workers, state workers, by executive order by the governor. this is deeper collective bar dwaning restrictions against teachers and local employees. so it's wider and it's deeper. it also includes the right to work type language for construction workers, saying you can't have a project labor agreement. that means you cannot have an agreement that will help indiana workers go back to work above minimum wage and they also rule out prevailing wages and also that would encourage more employers to bring illegal immigrants in which is something the republican party says they're against. so it's contradictory. so there are several other issues deeper and wider than in wisconsin. >> so do you plan to sit tight and pay these fines? >> we're willing to take some pain, too. >> so you'll pay these fines? >> yes. those fines are minimal compared

to all the pain the workers and the teachers and the students are going to receive from what these bad bills are doing. and so we can take some pain to help them avoid a lifetime of pain. >> well, we'll keep watching it along with you. pat bauer, thanks for your time this morning. >> thanks. thank you. here are some stories making news "cross-country." the daughter of the last world war i veteran would like his body to lie in repose in the capitol. they are not agreeing. a service at arlington national cemetery would be more appropriate. hawaii's kilauea volcano is putting on quite a show. look at the lava shooting as high as 80 feet in the air. kilauea is one of the most active volcanos. it's erupted 34 times since 1952 just in case you're keeping

track. and here's something that we've seen before. a fire onboard an oil platform in the gulf of mexico. coast guard helicopters rushed to the platform yesterday about 50 miles off grand isle, louisiana. they put out the fire and rescued two workers who were working on it. the platform was shut two weeks ago and not producing any oil, it turns out. )%)%)%)%)%)%)%)%)%%

actor charlie sheen has shattered another twitter record. sheen just surpassed 2 million followers and he only joined the social media site less than a week ago. "showbiz tonight" host brooke anderson, charlie sheen, what a weekend. >> to us, yes, charlie sheen had quite the weekend. but by his standards it was probably just average, if that. but the sheen phenomenon is in full force. on friday it looked like he was going to lose one of his two goddesses, the porn star reportedly packed her bags, moved out on friday thit but she just couldn't stay away, was back on saturday and sheen told tmz it's all good now. and his twitter page, as you mentioned, continues to attract followers in record numbers. it's been less than a week. he's already got more than 2 million followers. as he tweets it, another record shattered. we gobbled the soft target that

was 2 million like a bag of troll house zombie chow, whatever that means. he also launched his own webcast called "sheen's korner." it attracted more than 100 million views. he called it violent torpedo but that it was a train wreck. it was a mess like they had not prepared anything. more sheen news is coming from dallas today. billionaire mark cuban, known as the owner of the dallas mavericks basketball team, owns the hd net television network, and he told "the dallas morning news" that he has reached out to sheen about trying to work together. and last, but not least, sheen was the focus of the folks at "saturday night live" and they really did a brilliant job. sheen even loved it himself. he tweeted that it was brilliant and gnarly but he department say

gnarly. >> he's so busy, i don't think he would have time for "two and a half men" even if he was still doing the show. let's talk about miley cyrus now. she has been taking a lot of heat in the press. she showed off her sense of humor about it on "saturday night live," didn't she? >> she did, randi. she had fun hosting "snl" appearing in a skit, actually, that regularly makes fun of her. she also opened the show doing a little musical number. so let's take a look at that. ♪ i never stole a necklace or got a dui ♪ ♪ never cheated on my wife like that golfer guy ♪ ♪ so what you could see a little boo from the side ♪ ♪ i'm sorry that i'm not perfect ♪ >> i guess she is saying, hey, it could be worse. pretty funny, randi, and good press for miley. >> oh, yeah. it's not a bad thing to make fun of yourself. and what's this i'm hearing about a big star who has decided to record a country album is this. >> yes, it was only a matter of time. we're talking about gwyneth

paltrow. she played a country singer in her film "country strong." she has been everywhere on stage performing, the country music awards, the oscars, the grammies. there are reports she is very close to a record deal with atlantic records. the idea of a country album has been rumored for a while with paltrow. she has admitted that she was in discussions about it. i think, you know, she's got a solid voice. she does a great job in roles like the recurring one that she has on "glee" and is married to a rock star so this just seems like the logical next step. >> i think so. for years she's been a singer trapped in an actress' body so it's about time for her. >> multitalented woman. >> she certainly is. brooke anderson, thank you. want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world? well, brooke has it this evening on "showbiz tonight" at 5:00 and 11:00 p.m. on hln. so how is this for a wake-up

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we have a story just in from the u.s. supreme court. just minutes ago the majority of the justices ruled that a death row inmate has the right to demand that some of the evidence can undergo dna testing for the very first time. the case, of course, has widespread implications so let's get the latest from cnn's bill mears. >> reporter: it was a 6-3 vote by the justices, a narrow ruling. it was whether inmates had a civil right to have this forensic evidence reviewed late in the process. the justices said on that narrow question, yes.

so it does buy some more legal time for henry skinner who was convicted in 1994 of murdering his girlfriend and her two adult sons. he's been claiming for years that he did not do this and says that if the dna testing is done on other bits of evidence it will clear his name and if put to death an innocent man would be executed. >> there was a ruling today on birthers, the question of whether or not president obama was born here in the united states or not. that apparently is not going to be heard by the supreme court? >> reporter: the justices in january rejected a request for the court to consider the claims to examine the birth certificate of president obama, that he is not a natural born citizen. while the petitioners who lost the case, they asked the court to reconsider it and the justices for a second time have said, no, we're not going to get into this issue at least not now. >> bill mears, thank you.

it's 10:30 in the east now. 7:30 in the west. right now we're watching flooding across indiana. the water in some areas could be at their highest levels this year with more rain on the way this week. how much will gasoline go up today? right now the national average is $3.51 per gallon, a 33 cent spike in two weeks, the second biggest price jump ever. and defense secretary robert gates making a surprise visit to u.s. troops at bagram airfield in afghanistan. all right. so imagine your boss is fired from his job and before he clears out his desk, he rushes through a big pay raise are for everyone. well, that's what a new study suggests outgoing members of congress did with your tax dollars. cnn's senior congressional correspondent dana bash here to explain. what is this all about? >> reporter: this is an interesting story in "the wall street journal" where they compiled facts and figures from the watchdog group and what they

found is 96 lawmakers at the end of last year paid their employees a total of $6.7 million in the fourth quarter, that's important to note, that was a 31% increase over the first three quarters of the year. that's about twice as much as the fourth quarter of last year. now the reason for that salary spike, it seems, is that people, members of congress, who were defeated or who retired decided to give bonuses to the people who were losing their jobs. some staffers in their offices. this is not illegal. this is something that has been done by members of congress in both parties and it's also interesting to note that members of congress, randi, they get budgets. they get bumts averaging from about $1.5 million to $2 million. they can spend it any way they want. they can use it on paper clips, on toner, and they can use it to pay staffers if they choose to hire. so this is up to them, at their discretion, how they use their money even if it is at the end

of the year but it also is noteworthy many members of congress who are defeated or are retiring, they choose to give that money back to the treasury especially in times like these. >> so even though it has a lot of people shaking their heads, it's not so unusual. a lot of members, do they look at this as a way to reward staffers who could be making more money in the private sector? >> reporter: they do. let me show you some numbers. the average house staffer makes between $20,000 and $168,411 annually. the average is about $60,000. now let's be honest, a lot of people out there watching saying, wow, that looks like a pretty good salary and it certainly is not a bad salary at all. but what members of congress tend to think, some of them, is there are people working for them literally round the clock especially those who were running for re-elected, some of their aides took "vacation" and really went to work on their

campaigns and this is potentially a way to reward those staffers. and let me show you one other sta t statistic and that is that there is a rule that says members of congress staff cannot make any more than $14,034 per month. so that a means that this so-called bonus, if a member of congress chooses to go this route with their aides, it's really capped so there's only so much they can give especially those making the highest -- at the higher end of the salary range. but it certainly is a very interesting practice and an interesting statistics that we got here from, again, "the wall street journal," by way of legistorm, an interesting watchdog group who keeps track of what people get paid and do up here on capitol hill. >> always interesting. dana bash helping us all make sense of that, thank you. >> reporter: thanks. let's quickly get updated on what's happening in libya today. most people live on the mediterranean coast. the capital, tripoli, far to the northwest and benghazi not far from the worder.

when we talk who is is in control whether the city is firmly occupied by rebels or officials taking orders from moammar gadhafi. benghazi in rebel control. that's where budding government seems to be taking seed. tripoli has not seen much street fighting relatively speaking, still under government control. now here is where it gets a whole lot less certain. the cities of misrata and bin jawad. cnn has no way of verifying either account. so misrata is not definite. zawiya not definite and bin jawad not definite. in misrata 40 people were reported dead yesterday. we are getting this information from witnesses. cnn does not have independent confirmation of the fighting or those casualties there. we're doing our best to confirm what we can on the ground. the unrest in libya

translates to higher gas prices here in the u.s. so we thought we'd spend some time on the things we do to get better gas mileage and save money. there are a lot of suggestions out there. some are good ideas, others just plain crazy. here to help us separate the facts from the myths, robert sinclair jr. of the new york aaa. good to see you, robert. let's talk first about what are some things you can advise right off the top here to get better gas mileage? >> well, vehicle maintenance is very important. we don't do tune-ups, per se, these days, but whatever you have to do to make sure that it's in optimum running condition, you should do that, take it to the technician and let him do those things. some things that motorists can do themselves include checking tire pressure. it's very critical that your tires be properly inflated. the governmental study found fully a third of us driving around on under inflated tires and for every pound per square inch that your tires are under inflated you lose 1% of your gas

mileage per tire so check the little tag inside the driver's door jamb and make sure your tires are properly inflated. the other thing is to check the air filter. a dirty air filter is like a marathon runner trying to breathe through a straw. they are trying to pull the air past the dirty air filter. make sure it's clean. some things like very simply taking the excess weight out of the trunk. a lot of people have the so-called junk in the trunk syndrome and all that extra weight we are carrying around makes the engine work harder, makes you use more gasoline. >> got it. so let's put some of the facts and the myths to a test here if you will. so just humorous here. a lot of people probably think that they should put their transmission into neutral and maybe coast going down the hill. is that a myth or a fact that that's going to save on gasoline? >> that's -- well, it will save you gasoline but a small amount.

what's important is the safety and predicament it puts you in. driving around in neutral isn't good. it might become an emergency situation where you have to accelerate and that extra second or two that it might take to put the vehicle in neutral is perhaps a second or two that winds you getting in a crash rather than avoiding it. >> what about cutting through gas stations to avoid red lights, is that going to save anything? >> yeah, well, so-called hyper milers back in 2008 when they were coming up with all sorts of different things to do to try to advance your gas mileage came up with that idea. it's dangerous, number one and might be pedestrians or other vehicles that are moving through a gas station. it probably is illegal in many municipalities where avoiding a red light is something that you can be cited for. so sitting at a red light burning gasoline is not good but the alternatives are worse. >> all right. what about driving without air conditioning? a lot of folks i know who do

this. is that going to save anything? myth or fact? >> well, six on the one hand, half a dozen on the other, driving without air conditioning but then you'll have the windows open and that creates extra aerodynamic draft. with vehicle manufacturers build their vehicles, they design them to run with the windows closed, and that is a way that many manufacturers are getting better fuel economy these days by making the vehicles more slippery aerodynamically. so if you drive with the windows closed but the air conditioning is on, the extra strain on the engine using the air conditioner uses more gasoline but driving with the windows open creates extra aerodynamic drag so toss the dice, take a pick, whatever you want to do. either one. >> i know you touched on this already but it is worth repeating. keeping your tires properly inflated. myth or fact that that's going to help you out? >> that without a doubt is going to help you. if you've ever rid ann bicycle

that had low tire pressure, remember how difficult it was, and go to the gas station and pump them up and it's so much easier. it's very important for gas mileage but also very important for safety. your tires have be to be properly inflated so that they don't fold over in turns and that kind of thing. very dangerous having underinflated tires. they can blow out at high speeds which is very dangerous. >> and what about planning your route? >> that will definitely help you especially with gps devices these days when you are plugging in your destination, they offer you the option of, say, the fastest route, the shortest route, the shortest time, those sort of things. generally the shortest distance, like we say, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so pick the shortest distance if you're programming a destination with your gps device and that should cut down on the distance that you're traveling and thus the miles that you're going to travel. >> all right. well, those are great tips. i'm glad we busted some of those myths wide open and now we got the facts down.

robert sinclair jr., thank you so much. so what if i told you there was a group of people traveling the country right now warning that the end of days was just a few months away? well, that's what some christians are doing and we tagged along on a leg of their trip to ask them why. so that got us thinking, the end of the world has been anticipated many times, of course. they've all come and gone, but we wanted to take a look at some of the most memorable. the book of genesis in the bible tells that god unleashed a massive flood that wiped out almost all life on earth but humankind was saved by noah who built that ark that carried his family and two of every living creature to safety. in the 1830s baptist preacher william miller predicted the end of the world would occur. when that didn't happen the date was recalculated 0 to october 22nd, 1844.

of course we know that didn't happen either. so what are some other apocalyptic predictions from the past? and go everywhere. to help revitalize a neighborhood in massachusetts, restore a historic landmark in harlem, fund a local business in chicago, expand green energy initiatives in seattle. because when you're giving, lending and investing in more communities across the country, more opportunities happen.

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a look at apocalyptic predictions over the centuries. a woman in chicago with the

ali alias marian predicted her followers would be beamed up to safety. no aliens showed up. no massive flood. accord i according to the christian biblical calculations, they said there would be an ultimate demise on october 21st. some are so convinced that doomsday is upon us they have left their homes, their jobs, their families to travel the country and warn people that the end is near. >> we travel to as many states as possible to proclaim the fact that may 21st, 2011, is the day of the lord's return. when we caravan, we see people that give us the thumb. they say thumbs up. we also see people that, unfortunately, give us the other

finger. >> jessica is a writer/producer with cnn.com. she actually traveled with the group on a leg of their journey and is here to tell us all about it. may 21st, why is that date so significant? >> they say the bible teaches us the guy who really came up with this is someone who has been studying the bible for 50 years and he's been crunching his biblical numbers and he has determined that is the day and the rest of us will experience doom and gloom for five months until the world actually ends on october 21st. that sounds lovely. they are also passing out fliers. whatever they telling people and what's been the reaction? >> they're out warning people to prepare for the end but the irony is you can't do much. they also believe that god has predetermined who has been saved. so they want people studying the skrcripture but if you're not o the saved list, you might as

well kick back with some doughnuts. >> did you talk to them at all about what their plan is to enjoy their last few months if this really does happen here on earth? >> i did ask them if they had a bucket list of things they wanted to do and they looked at me like i was crazy. they're doing what they need to be doing in their minds. they will be passing out flyers until the end. and they won't even entertain what will happen if they wake up on may 22nd. >> i can't imagine what their families must think because some have left their families and their homes and everything they know. >> i though. i know. and a lot have strained relationships with their families for obvious reasons but some people still feel supported and loved and they're praying for their families they'll come around and see the truth as well. >> we gave this whole list of all the dooms days that have come and gone. do they talk about that or what makes them so sure that theirs is going to be the one? >> the date that they do talk about the mayan date of december

21st, 2012. in a way that's their competition right now and they are completely dismissive of that. i mean, the mayans aren't there anymore and they believe in the bible. >> so when may 21st comes and goes and we're all still here, what do you think they'll say? >> well, based on my interviews, this scholar talked about he's been setting apocalyptic views for 12 years and he says, you know, they will always come back and say there was an interpretation law in the bible -- >> set another date. >> yeah. they'll reset the clock. exactly. >> jessica, that's very interesting. i'm sure it was a very interesting road trip. >> it was fun. >> at least that leg of it. i'm sure it's very interesting group. to read more about other premonitions of the past head over to cnn.com and the cnn.com belief blog. listen closely to what senator john mccain told abc's "this week" and then see if you

can figure out what's wrong with what he said. >> i would also point out that if it emptied that house if you left a computer there or an ipad or an iphone, those are for america and as the president said continuously and i agree with him innovation is the key to possibly being able to restore our economy. >> so think about that for just a moment and we'll tell you the mistake he made when we come back. a new poll takes the temperature of political names. michelle obama is the hottest. but nancy pelosi is just above freezing. see where the others come in on the thermometer next. destined to shape our future. the jaguar xj. automobile magazine's 2011 design of the year.

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making the decision to own a jaguar just as rational as it is emotional. senator john mccain may need to check with a techie after he misspoke during an interview telling abc's "this week" that ipads and iphones are american made. >> i would also point out that if it emptied that house that if you left a computer there or an ipad or an iphone those are built in the united states of america. and as the president said continuously, and i agree with him, innovation is the key to us being able to restore our economy and that's got to be exports. >> the ipad, the iphone and the

i touch each have the words designed by apple inc californi, assembled in china on the back. mccain's office says the senator is aware of that. donald trump is showing interest this a possible white house run by sending an adviser to iowa today. cnn senior political director mark preston here with that story. >> reporter: the trump plane has landed in iowa. in fact, his executive vice president is meeting with the iowa republican party chairman as we speak right now on the airplane. now mr. trump has said that he seriously is considering running for president, he won't make a decision until june but people think that mr. trump is just using this to help market his new show, "the celebrity apprentice," which debuted last night. we'll have to see how he does to see if mr. trump is really interesting in running for president. if he does, he would be running as a republican, randi.

another republican said to be considering running for the republican presidential thom nation is the u.s. ambassador to china. he actually got an endorsement from the white house yesterday, not an endorsement you would want necessarily. the white house chief of staff said this about him yesterday. his support of the obama administration, his support of the president, the things he did on behalf of this administration and the closeness in which he worked with the president is most appreciated and i'm sure he'll talk about that in the primaries. he is about to leave his position as u.s. ambassador to china. a lot of republicans think that if he does run, he could be hurt because he decided to leave his post as utah governor to work for the obama administration. randi? and, mark, this new survey out that rates the hottest and coolest politicians. so who made the list? >> let's just look at the top five and the bottom five very quickly. probably no surprise michelle obama leads the list. she was number one.

they actual ly did this in degrees. she came in at number one. bill clinton number two. chris christie number three. president obama number four and rudolph giuliani number five. let's look at the bottom. nancy pelosi came in at the very bottom. harry reid number two. sarah palin number three. newt gingrich number four and haley barbour number five. >> very interesting list. i'm sure they'll be talking about that at home at the white house tonight. thank you, mark. at 11:30 eastern time a special live interview with former defense secretary william cohen on what could happen in the coming weeks. don't miss his interview with suzanne malveaux in the next hour of "cnn newsroom." and it could be a royal wedding with an edge. the rebellious fashion house that just might have its designs on kate middleton. [ male announcer ] america's beverage companies are working together

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